Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth struggled in a great many ways during his latest Senate committee testimony, but one Democratic senator pressed him a point he probably should’ve seen coming. NBC News reported:

Hegseth got into a heated exchange with Sen. Jacky Rosen as the Nevada Democrat pressed him about previous antisemitic comments made by a Defense Department press secretary, Kingsley Wilson. Rosen shared what Wilson’s posts have said during the hearing, but Hegseth said, ‘Since I don’t believe the characterization of many officials in the news media, I would need to see precisely what’s being characterized generally.’

The Nevada Democrat framed all of this in an effective way, noting Donald Trump’s comments about combating antisemitism. Hegseth nevertheless said the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson is doing “a fantastic job,” prompting Rosen to tell the beleaguered former Fox News host that he is “not a serious person.”

Part of the problem with the secretary’s response was that he testified that he’d “need to see” what Wilson has said and written. That wasn’t much of an answer: As part of the vetting process, Hegseth and his team should’ve already done this long before hiring the Pentagon spokesperson.

But just as notable was Hegseth’s apparent indifference to Wilson’s rhetorical record. As The New York Times reported last month:

The Defense Department announced that Kingsley Wilson, the deputy press secretary who has drawn attention for past remarks criticized as antisemitic and racist, was promoted to be press secretary, the lead spokeswoman for the Pentagon. The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group, had criticized her for the remarks back in March: “Anyone who posts antisemitic conspiracy theories lifted right out of the neo-Nazi playbook should not be in public office.”

For those unfamiliar with Wilson, a Mother Jones report published a couple of months ago summarized her record this way: “She’s also an overt internet troll with a long history of bigoted, xenophobic, and deliberately provocative s—posting.”

What’s more, whether Hegseth realizes this or not, the concerns aren’t limited to Democrats. Politico reported in March:

The backlash over a top Pentagon aide who has touted antisemitic views, white supremacist conspiracy theories and Kremlin-like statements on social media grew wider on Wednesday in a sign of increasing frustration among Republicans about the Trump administration’s seemingly unvetted appointees. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson’s posts — which include comparing the murders of Israeli babies during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks to abortion and spreading the far-right ‘great replacement theory’ — have angered lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Republican Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska told Politico, in reference to Wilson’s remarks, “It’s horrible, it’s just not appropriate.”

A senior Republican congressional aide added, “We’ve got enough real, serious challenges from outside without having to worry about Pentagon staff who like to spread antisemitism or Russian propaganda. I’m amazed at who this administration has been willing to trust with national security responsibilities.”

It’s against this backdrop that Hegseth not only hired Wilson, he gave her a promotion, and when pressed on her record of antisemitic rhetoric, the Pentagon chief feigned ignorance.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Rosen concluded, “You are not serious about rooting out, fighting antisemitism within the ranks of DOD, it’s despicable. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.” Given the circumstances, it was tough to blame her.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.